Looking for free volunteer work abroad...Am i crazy?

Question

I understand why volunteer groups require some type of compensation but i mean man...to go and donate your time its gonna cost 5,000 dollars. It just blows my mind. I know i may not be the most educated person ever, but i still dont think i should have to pay for my flight, room and board, and every other little thing when i am volunteering. All i want to do is go help people, wherever they may be, but i dont make the kind of money to do so. I guess i was just wondering if anyone knew of any organizations that could help me out with some costs. . .or a volunteer group that maybe will be free completely(outside of the peace corps. or other organizations that wont allow you to volunteer because your not educated well enough.) I mean come on dont tel me there is not something i could do for people in a third world country that doesnt involve a college degree.

Answer 1

"i still dont think i should have to pay for my flight, room and board, and every other little thing when i am volunteering." So, you think that an organization should take money that it could use to hire 20 local people, allowing them to feed and sustain their families, and instead, use it to fly you to the country for a feel good experience because you really want to help and have a good heart.

Please. Give it a rest.

The priority is the people in the developing countries, NOT you. The priority is to give those people jobs and train them to generate income, NOT to give you a feel-good experience and photo opportunities.

How about making the people of the developing world the priority instead of yourself?

If you aren't a viable candidate for long-term placement agencies that don't charge volunteers, then start working to make yourself one. Learn another language well enough to work in it, get experience as a volunteer where you are right now in something that would be helpful in the developing world (teach computer classes, help with an urban community garden, help with HIV/AIDS education/prevention programs, work with immigrants, help with elections, etc.). Start working to make  yourself someone that the developing world actually needs and that groups like the PeaceCorps or UNV would see as a candidate who can make a real difference.

Answer 2

Try Habitat for Humanity. If you are willing to go and live overseas and commit to organizing a community, you can apply and I don't think they care about your educational level.

If you do pay to go abroad and volunteer, you can write your expenses off of your taxes as a donation to charity - provided that you are working with a group that has been designated as a non-profit 501(C)3 by the IRS.

Answer 3

Sit and think about this for a bit. If an organization needs volunteers (not paid staff) in order to run, how can they afford to fly you out to a faraway country, pay for your accommodation, your food, transportation, etc? Flights to Africa from N.America can cost over $2,000. They could pay for a local staff person to do that job for a LONG time with that money. Paying to volunteer overseas is a necessity.

Also, what's to say that their volunteers won't use the free flight over there and then skip out? There's nothing to hold them accountable to the position and they've just lost all that money.

Check out Global Volunteer Network. They're easily the cheapest around (and I've done hours of research). If you don't want to pay to volunteer, you should look at staying in your own community. (But keep in mind - they aren't going to pay your transportation, accommodation, food, etc, either. When you volunteer in another country you are LIVING there and paying to live there.)

Answer 4

There are so many hungry and homeless here in this country, why would you want to go any place else?

If you are dead set on getting a free ride to another country, there are many Catholic and Protestant churches who go over seas once a year.  I think even those have to pay their own way, but I'm not sure.